Moy Park to take on ‘hundreds’ of staff in bid to meet Covid-19 demand

Northern Ireland agri-food giant Moy Park Food has announced plans to take on ‘hundreds’ of temporary staff across the UK as part of efforts to meet increased demand sparked by Covid-19.

Grocery retailers in the UK and Ireland have seen an unprecedented increase in demand for poultry produce as shoppers stock up on staples.

A spokesman for Moy Park explained many of the positions could be particularly suitable to those from within the hospitality industry due to an existing awareness and familiarity with food hygiene and safety regulations, as well as other transferrable skills.

The company is looking for people to join its teams across a range of roles in its agriculture and production operations.

Speaking about the opportunities, Moy Park HR and performance director, Kirsty Wilkins said: “There has been a noticeable increase in grocery sales as people practice social distancing and self-isolate.

“This has resulted in a heightened demand for chicken produce and with it, opportunities in the sector to meet this demand.

“As a team, we are committed to ensuring we provide nutritious food for our communities, and we are keen to support individuals who are looking for short term employment to meet changing consumer purchasing habits.

This increase in grocery retail comes at a time when there has been a fall in demand across our sister sectors of hospitality and tourism as people’s socialising and travel plans are curtailed.

“We hope the pressure being faced across these industries is short term and, in the meantime, we are keen to help anyone looking for a job through these new opportunities.”

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Discussing the firm’s precautionary measures to protect staff from Covid-19, Wilkins added: “The health and wellbeing of our team is our most important consideration and we are following all relevant government advice and protocols.

“This includes the increased frequency of the sanitising of communal areas and increased availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across our factories.

“Our business is nothing without the people and the farms who supply us. We are thankful to all our team members who are doing a fantastic job.

“We continue to operate as normal and we have a dedicated team in place which has given careful thought and planning to how we will manage different scenarios.”